


the merriest christmas

by scarlettroses



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Canon Era, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 14:37:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17143586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarlettroses/pseuds/scarlettroses
Summary: "I ain't sure I've ever seen this much food in my life," comments Race, as he helps Kath carry dishes of potatoes to set by the door. "We normally just have some cookies that the nuns make us and some candy that Jack buys. You figure we're really gonna eat all this?"-every year, the newsies have a christmas party. this year, kath wants to make it special.





	the merriest christmas

**Author's Note:**

> this fandom doesn’t have enough jack/kath content!! i wanted to make something cute and christmassy for one of my fav ships! 
> 
> my only note: uhh i have no clue how common cars were at this point in history or if any of the newsies would’ve been able to ride in them before, so just take that part of the story with a grain of salt :)
> 
> enjoy the story and happy holidays!!

Katherine Pulitzer is terrible at keeping secrets.    
  
Some people might call her a gossip, but she simply has a penchant for sharing what's on her mind, even if perhaps she shouldn't. It's not like she goes around spreading rumours, she's just terrible at keeping her mouth shut sometimes.    
  
That's why she's so proud of herself now. It's Christmas Eve, and she's only told like ten people about her gift for Jack and the newsies. Scratch that— not even ten, she's only told five or six! And they're all the people that she needs to help her pull this off anyways, so it's basically like she hasn't given away the secret at all.    
  
Maybe it would've been ideal to find a way to pull this off without letting any of the people she was meant to be surprising know, but she's now standing in her parents' kitchen with Race, Albert and Jojo. It's not her fault, though, because she'd only accidentally slipped the secret to Race, and then he'd offered to help and he'd just brought Albert and Jojo along as  _ more _ help, so  _ he _ was really the one who couldn't keep a secret. Not Katherine, no way.    
  
Anyways.    
  
There's a couple of enormous turkeys in the oven, nearly done cooking, and the four of them are busy packing up all the other food that they've spent the afternoon working on, with some help from the Pulitzer family's kitchen staff, getting ready for the newsies' holiday party tonight. They've mashed plenty of potatoes, baked a ridiculous amount of pies, and chopped an exorbitant number of vegetables. It's a full-fledged Christmas dinner, it's all a surprise for Jack and the rest of them, and Kath couldn't be prouder.    
  
"I ain't sure I've ever seen this much food in my  _ life _ ," comments Race, as he helps Kath carry dishes of potatoes to set by the door. He, Albert and Jojo look a bit out of place in the Pulitzer mansion, but Kath has made a solid effort to be as welcoming and inviting as possible, while keeping her family contained upstairs and out of sight. "We normally just have some cookies that the nuns make us and some candy that Jack buys. You figure we're really gonna eat all this?"   
  
Kath rolls her eyes.    
  
"Everyone goes nuts for Christmas dinner," she replies. "If seeing my brothers eat like crazy at Christmas is anything to go by, I'm sure we'll go through all of this in no time with all you boys."   
  
As they head back to the kitchen to grab more food, Albert and Jojo walk out of it, carrying stacks of pies.    
  
"There's just a couple more dishes of vegetables left," says Jojo. "And I think your cook said the turkeys are done. How are we gettin' all this food to the lodge?"   
  
Kath suddenly smiles, remembering the surprise she'd added for these three, to thank them for helping.    
  
"My father said we can take his automobile," she says, and the way all three of them instantly light up is worth all the begging she had to do to arrange this.    
  
"We're gonna ride in a  _ real _ automobile?" gasps Albert. Race and Jojo's jaws have dropped, and they all seem to be in shock. "I seen 'em drivin' around sometimes and they spook the hell outta me— I just don't get how they work! How d'you make it go?"   
  
Kath shrugs, because she honestly has no clue.    
  
"You'll have to ask the driver, I've got no idea," she replies. "I'm sure he'd be happy to explain it to you. He's tried to tell me about it before but it all goes right over my head. You guys might understand it better than I do. I'll get the last of the vegetables— you guys can go meet the driver outside and start putting food in the trunk."   
  
The three of them immediately scramble to be the first one outside to see the car. They've been on their best behaviour all day, and Kath is sure they're itching to get a little rambunctious again.    
  
Katherine can do nothing more than roll her eyes and laugh as she heads back to the kitchen to help the cooks get the turkeys ready to go. She's so,  _ so _ grateful for these crazy boys.    
  
-   
  
They arrive to the lodging house slightly less than twenty minutes later. They're not  _ technically _ late to the party, as Jack had told Kath to come at seven and it's now six fifty-five, but it does seem that things are already getting lively inside.    
  
Apparently this party is a Christmas Eve tradition from before Jack had even started selling. Every year, all the newsies call it quits a little early as the whole city seems to head home for the holiday, and they have a night full of singing and dancing and games. It's quite lovely, if Kath says so herself.   
  
"Okay," she says, as they climb out of the car. Albert and Race had whooped and hollered excitedly the whole way over, while Kath had tried to comfort a rather terrified Jojo. She can't blame him— she'd been scared to death her first time riding in this contraption when she was younger. The idea of a horseless carriage that runs on electricity can be a little hard on the brain. "I want to surprise Jack with the food first, before everyone charges at it. You boys go on inside, and I'll find him so I can bring him out here and show him. I'll let you know when I need help carrying things."   
  
She high-fives all three of them, and then they go running inside. Kath quickly explains her plan to the driver, and then finally walks up to the doors.    
  
Several people are singing when she enters the room. In fact, there's a big circle of boys all clapping along and laughing excitedly as a few of them chant the lyrics.    
  
" _ Ho-ro, the rattlin' bog, the bog down in the valley-o! _ " cheer the boys in unison, and it dawns on Kath what game they're playing. Jack had tried to explain it to her once as she'd watched them play— it's somehow something that every Irish kid knows how to play, and they've now taught it to the whole group.    
  
"And in that nest there was a bird," sings Buttons, everyone else having gone quiet for his turn. The objective is that each turn, something is added to the scene being described, and each singer has to list it all without messing up. "A rare bird, a rattlin' bird! A bird in a nest, and a nest on a twig, and a twig on a branch, and a branch on a tree, and a tree in a hole, and a hole in the bog, and the bog down in the valley-o!"   
  
The room explodes into cheers as the chorus starts up again after his perfect run. Kath admires how different this party is from any other she's been to— it's loud and rowdy and exciting, everything she's always sort of been yearning for.    
  
She notices Jack at the edge of the circle, clapping along and grinning widely, though he doesn't seem to be playing the actual game.    
  
She tries to sneak up on him, but he catches her first.    
  
"Hey," he says, immediately drawing her in for a hug once she's near enough. He has to strain to be heard over the crowd. "I'm glad you came! Sorry you just walked in on the noisiest game ever, I swear we'll settle down some after this. We just like to start off by getting everyone excited!"   
  
Kath just laughs and kisses Jack's cheek.    
  
"No worries, dear. I do need to steal you for a moment, though," she says, happy to have everyone distracted by their yelling and singing. "I have a surprise for you but it's outside in the car."   
  
Jack raises an eyebrow in suspicion, but he lets Kath take his hand and lead him out the doors anyways.    
  
"I got you a gift too," he says as they make their way outside. "It ain't much, but I hope you'll like it."   
  
Katherine leads Jack around to the trunk of the car, but pauses before she opens it.    
  
"Before I show you..." she says, "I had a really tricky time deciding what to get you. I knew you'd want something practical, not something that feels like a big, silly waste of money. So, I got something small that's just for you, as well as something bigger that you can share with your boys. Which do you want first?"   
  
"The small one," says Jack, after a short moment of deliberation. He wouldn't be Jack Kelly if he didn't let his pride take over for a moment, so he adds: "You really ain't had to get me two gifts, Kath. All I really want is just to spend time with you."   
  
Katherine rolls her eyes as she pulls a small, wrapped box from the pockets of her dress. It looks slightly like a blind toddler had tried to wrap it, with how messy it looks, but Kath tried her best, okay?   
  
Jack unwraps it eagerly, a glint of childlike excitement in his eyes. He lights up when he sees the box of gorgeous coloured pencils and quickly pulls Kath in for a kiss.    
  
“Thank you, Ace,” he whispers, turning the box over in his hands as if he can’t believe it’s real. “These are beautiful.”   
  
Katherine leans into Jack’s side to try and warm up, since it’s freezing out, and she can’t help the smile on her face.    
  
“Now the bigger present,” she says, pointing to the trunk. “It’s for all of you to share. And… I don’t want you to take this as, you know, me treating you like a charity case. That’s not what this is. I just wanted to give you boys something nice for Christmas.”   
  
Jack nods, clearly confused but also excited. Kath opens the trunk and Jack just sort of remains confused, staring at all the pots and pans and dishes.    
  
“The two big dishes are turkeys,” explains Kath, and the realization suddenly dawns on Jack. She tries to keep explaining as one of his hands flies to his mouth and he laughs in disbelief. “The smaller ones have mashed potatoes and vegetables, and there’s some pies at the back. The turkeys were still hot when we packed them up, so they should’ve kept everything warm.”   
  
“ _ Kath _ ,” says Jack after a moment, and his voice sounds so wet and shaky that he must be crying— it’s hard to tell with the way he’s backlit by a streetlight. “I… this is insane. You hauled a whole Christmas dinner all the way over here?”   
  
Katherine just nods and then stands on her toes to kiss Jack’s lips.    
  
“A few of your boys helped,” she says, smiling coyly. “Race is a surprisingly good cook, he makes excellent pies. Albert and Jojo mostly just goofed around and mashed potatoes, but they tried their best.”   
  
Jack is definitely crying. He pulls Kath in for the world’s warmest hug.    
  
“I don’t know how to thank ya, Kath,” he mumbles into her hair. “I always wanted to do somethin’ real nice like this for the kids, but I ain’t ever had the money. This is the best gift you could’ve ever given me.”   
  
Katherine instantly feels her heart swell with pride.    
  
“I love you so much, Jack,” she replies, reaching up with a freezing cold hand to wipe a tear from his cheek. “Don’t cry, this is a happy day, sweetheart. Let’s get this food inside before it gets too cold.”   
  
“Wait,” says Jack, before Katherine can turn and start trying to lift one of the turkeys. He wipes some tears from his eyes and laughs softly. “Lemme give you your present first. It’s got two parts too, ‘cause part of it wouldn’t fit in a box. I’ll give you half now, and the rest is inside.”   
  
Jack slides a tiny box out of his pocket, wrapped in what looks like old newspaper that he’d painted over with lovely flowers. Kath opens it carefully, trying to save the beautiful paper.    
  
Inside the box is a gorgeous hair ribbon, that looks like it must’ve cost Jack at least a day’s worth of pay. It’s a beautiful, deep red velvet. Maybe Kath is a bit too old to wear ribbons in her hair, but she can’t expect Jack to have known that. She’ll have to make an exception just for him. She takes it out of the box and quickly ties it into her hair.    
  
“I love it, and I love you, darling,” she says, before kissing Jack once more. “Merry Christmas. Now let’s go feed those boys, shall we?”

**Author's Note:**

> merry christmas everyone!! i hope you liked this story!! leave me the christmas gift of some comments and kudos? ;)
> 
> NOTE: my dumb butt forgot to include the rest of jack’s present!! *facepalm* he painted her a picture of the city skyline!!!


End file.
